Help Seeking Among Peers: The Role of Goal Structure and Peer Climate

With a sample of 373 middle school students, the present longitudinal study examined the role of the classroom peer climate in mediating the relation between perceptions of classroom goal structures and academic help seeking among peers. Classroom goal structures were measured in the fall and classroom peer climate and help seeking among peers were assessed in the spring. Structural equation modeling indicated classroom mastery goal structure directly predicted desirable help-seeking behavior among peers (i.e., high adaptive help seeking and low expedient and avoidance of help seeking). A positive classroom peer climate mediated the effects of classroom mastery goal structure on expedient and avoidance of help seeking. A negative classroom peer climate mediated the effects of classroom performance goal structure on avoidance of help seeking. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.